STORAGE LIFE AND WATER LOSS OF PLAIN AND CURLED LEAF PARSLEY

Parsley is leafy herb highly susceptible to desiccation. Leaves from plain-leaf (Petroselinum crispum var. neapolitanum) and curled-leaf (P. crispum var. crispum) parsley were stored in open trays or into folded, unsealed, polyethylene bags, and stored at 22, 10, and 1°C. In another experiment the leaves were dry-stored at 20°C for 0, 6, 12, and 24 h after harvest, after which time their petioles were immersed in distilled water and transferred to 10°C. Curled and plain leaf parsley did not differ in storage life. Maximum storage life of about 6 weeks was achieved with wrapped leaves stored at 1°C. The rate of water loss was generally higher in curled than in plain leaf parsley. Cooling and plastic wrapping are effective means of reducing water loss. Should desiccation occur during postharvest handling, parsley leaves are able to recover from a 10% water loss once their petioles are placed in water, even though dehydration reduces the rate of water uptake and hastens senescence.